Only one Gold for Team USA QQ

Team USA came home with only one gold medal and placed second overall in this years World Cyber Games2008 Grand Final in Cologne, Germany. It was Ryan Mancl from Glencoe, IL that captured the gold for team USA in the PC game Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties. The heavily favored Korean team brought the heat it's true but many of team USA's defeats were at the hands of their European colleagues. All and all not a bad showing and hey there's always next year. That's why I've already stocked up on doritos and mountain dew and I will be locked in my room with my Xbox 360 for the next 6 months. Seriously though guys, great job and good luck in your next competitions! Check out all of Team USA's results on the next page:

TEAM USA CAPTURES SECOND PLACE AT WORLD CYBER GAMES 2008 GRAND FINAL IN COLOGNE, GERMANY

With Five Overall Medals, TEAM USA Places Second To Team Korea In Overall Team Competition

Glencoe, IL Native Ryan Mancl Captures The World Title In Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties

(New York, NY November 11, 2008) - With five overall medals, TEAM USA placed second at the World Cyber Games 2008 Grand Final in Cologne, Germany. The defending world champions failed to defend their crown as they fell two medals shy of the heavily favored Korean team in the most competitive WCG Grand Final to date with more than 800 gamers from over 78 countries competing. This marks Team Korea's fourth overall team title in the nine-year history of the WCG as they have finished in the top three every year. The host Germans finished third with four medals.

Highlighting the competition for TEAM USA was the performance of Glencoe, IL native Ryan Mancl who never lost a match in capturing a shocking gold medal in Age of Empires® III: The Asian Dynasties. The 18-year old defeated Byeonggeon Kang of Korea in the championship match, 2-1. Atlanta resident Steven Anderson also pulled off a shocker by taking silver in Asphalt™ 4: Elite Racing. The 25-year old lost to Jared Beins of Singapore in the championship match of the Samsung Mobile Challenge.

The U.S. also captured three bronze medals including Team MoB Deep in Halo 3, which won its first five matches before losing to the eventual champion Canadian team in the semi-finals. The team -- comprised of Leland Jones (Olathe, KS), Joey Yamcharern (Indianapolis, IN), Jordan Blackburn (Westchester, OH), and Ian Schult (Kansas, MI) -- rebounded in the bronze medal match by dismantling Encore.BBR of Australia, 2-0. Adnan Rana (New York, NY) captured the bronze in Virtua Fighter 5 by winning seven of eight matches including a 2-0 victory over the host country in the bronze medal match. Rana's only setback was a tough 2-1 loss to the eventual silver medalist from Singapore in the semifinals. Additionally, in his second consecutive WCG Grand Final, David Lathrop (Fulton, NY) captured bronze in Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath™. This was a marked improvement for Lathrop who was eliminated in the Round of 16 at the WCG 2007 Grand Final in Seattle, WA.

"With the best video game players in the world representing 78 countries this weekend, e-Sports continues to gain popularity and worldwide acceptance," said Hyoung-Seok Kim, CEO of International Cyber Marketing, global organizer of the World Cyber Games. "This year's event in Cologne was our biggest and best yet. I am thrilled by the performance of the every nation and they should be proud of how they performed during this Grand Final."

For results of all members of TEAM USA, see below:

PCStarCraft®: Brood War™Tyler Wasieleski (San Antonio, TX) - Won his group by going 3-1 and earning nine points. Advanced in the elimination round to the Elite 8 before falling 2-1 to the qualifier from China. WarCraft® III: Frozen Throne™ Nik Cassidy (Norristown, PA) -- Went 4-2 in group play and just missed qualifying from the elimination round as he placed third (the top two in each group advanced).

CounterStrike™ Team won its first six matches and rolled to the Elite 8 before dropping a 2-1 decision to Norway.

Xbox 360 GamesProject Gotham Racing® 4 Champion: Brian Boyle (Lincolnshire, IL) - Finished fourth in the world. He advanced to the semifinals after going 5-1 in group play. Defeated Great Britain 2-0 in the Elite 8 before falling to the eventual gold medalist from The Netherlands. Lost in the bronze medal match, 2-1, to Austria.

) is the premier global video game tournament and gaming festival. First founded in 2000 to promote global harmony through e-Sports, the WCG has grown steadily ever since and been referred to as the "Olympics of Gaming" by several notable media outlets. Behind the slogan "Beyond the Game" and with more than 1.5 million contestants from over 78 countries expected to participate in this year's tournament, the World Cyber Games has developed into a true global phenomenon with unquestioned prestige and arguably the largest annual prize amounts at stake. World Cyber Games 2008 partners include Samsung Electronics, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Games For Windows, Philips amBX, Samsung Mobile, Dust-Off, Samsung SyncMaster Monitors and Intel Core 2 Extreme Processors.